Waking Up
by Gold-hatted-lover
Summary: She felt him move. She looked up at him and his white eyes locked with identical ones, although hers were red-rimmed and tear-filled. She stared at him with her big doe eyes as if in disbelief. He stared back. "Neji…you are awake… you are finally awake..."
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One : When he woke up, he was four years old.**

A/N : This is a Neji-centric drabble-esque fic that will extend to up to five chapters (give or take). Please note that this is a NejiHina, for those that do not feel comfortable with this pairing please hit the back button on your browser now.

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.

* * *

He woke up confused but they didn't call him a genius for nothing.

He was quick to analyze the situation and had deduced that he was in fact at the Konoha Hospital. Though he had to admit, he didn't need to use his genius to figure out where he was. After all he was attached to a beeping heart monitor and it was quiet enough to hear the steady drips from his IV.

It was cold and dark in his room, his hospital gown was thin and the blanket over him was flimsy. He tried to move but none of his limbs were responding. He figured he was probably injured badly considering his whole body ached and he felt like a brick wall collapsed on him and was crushing his chest. Though he could feel the pain, he couldn't recall how he ended up in the hospital.

He tried to remember what happened that day, asking himself questions to help him recall yesterday's events.

' _Did I train too hard?_ '

' _Was there an accident in the compound?_ '

' _Did I get into a fight?_ '

But he knew the answer… 'No'. Those are all improbable situations given that the last thing he remembered was being tucked into bed by his Haha and his Chichi.

He remembered his mother's warm lips on his _bare_ forehead as she stroked his long brown hair back. She smelled nice as always. He remembered his father standing by his doorway, smiling one of his rare contented smiles as he bid him goodnight—a smile that he knew was reserved only for him.

After arriving to no conclusion as to why he was confined in the hospital. He was determined to find out what happened, but first he had to see how bad his condition was. So with all the willpower he could summon he tried to activate his bloodline limit.

'Byakugan' he murmured to himself. Veins popped out from the side of his eyes, 'It worked' and he was glad.

He could see clearly in the darkness now, but instead of answers more questions rouse. He examined his feet, his legs, his hands, his arms, his torso—he couldn't believe his eyes—all of him was unfamiliar, all of him was too big.

His eyes started to strain and his Byakugan retracted. He closed his eyes in fear and disbelief. He could hear his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, his breathing was getting heavier and heavier by the second. For the first time in his life Neji Hyuuga was in a state of panic.

' _How the hell did this happen?! 4-year olds aren't supposed to grow up overnight!_ '

In his panic, he tried to move his body and scream. Though he was weak and could barely move, he was determined to cause any kind of commotion to let whoever was out there know that he was alive and he needed help. With the adrenaline rush, he was able to twitch and turn and loosen one of the tubes attached to his chest; this caused one of the machines to beep louder and faster. It hurt like hell but he didn't care. A few moments after, he heard an alarm go off followed by an announcement from the hospital's PA system.

"Medic Team A please head on over to ICU room 6 for some technical emergency."

He assumed he was the technical emergency. ' _Someone is coming_ ' he thought to himself, the thought made him relax a bit. And as his body slowly calmed and recovered from his anxiousness, he felt a sharp shooting pain on his chest right where the tube was dislocated. He realized that whatever he pulled out was probably something essential to his survival.

He felt that he was getting weaker and losing consciousness fast.

Not long after, a team of three medics came. They opened the light and he felt blind for a moment.

"Neji…" He heard one of them call his name softly, it was a female voice but he didn't recognize it. He wanted to see who it was but his vision was blurry from the sudden change in light and he was barely awake from losing too much blood from the detached tubing.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, catching fragments of what was happening—they were talking but none of it clear enough, he felt warm radiating touches, he saw silhouettes of people around him.

It felt like he was afloat on a river, drifting to nowhere.

Then there was a steady beeping sound and a light source that did not flicker. Slowly, Neji regained awareness.

It was morning now, his windows were left ajar and the morning light peeked in. He could hear the controlled beeping of his heart monitor once again—he was safe he thought. Slowly he regained his vision and his surroundings were clear. His happy thoughts died right there and then when he saw that he was still in an unfamiliar adult body and he still didn't have any clue how and why this happened.

More awake now than before, he felt the presence of someone resting on his bedside, she was whispering something. He turned to look and a half-asleep woman was holding his hand. Although he couldn't see her face, he was sure that he didn't know her, she looked tired and seem to have been crying. He tried his best to hear what she was saying, he recognized her voice to be that of the medic who called his name earlier.

"Stay with me Neji… Stay with me Neji... Stay with me..." She whispered.

He shifted to take a better look. She stirred and looked up at him, his white eyes locked with identical ones, although hers were red-rimmed and tear-filled.

He took in her appearance and tried to remember who she was—if he even knew her at all. She was Hyuuga that's for sure. She had milky white skin that contrasted with long midnight blue hair that spilled all-over her face, her pink lips were parted and her doe eyes wide as if in shock. She reminded him of his cousin, the clan heiress that he met just a few days ago. Neji was confused but he had to admit, this strange Hyuuga was the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

"Neji…you are awake… you are finally awake..." She spoke, when she recovered from her surprise, and she slowly smiled a soft contented smile. His heart swelled and he felt his cheeks burn. He knew that smile, it was the kind of smile reserved only for someone close to your heart, it was just like his father's.

Then she took his hand to her cheek and cried some more.

' _What a strange lady._ ' He thought.

Some moments after, the drugs kicked in and he fell back to sleep.

* * *

More A/N :

(1) This is actually my very first published story. Please let me know how I did. Thank you.

(2) Made revisions on the flow and the spacing to make it more coherent and easier to read and understand.

(3) To avoid confusion please note that Neji is experiencing Dissociative/Psychogenic Amnesia. A condition that causes a loss of some personal memories and autobiographical information but typically only for a brief time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two : When he woke up, he was nine years old.**

* * *

Neji is strong. He knew that. His whole clan knew that. Iruka-sensei at the academy knew that. The kids in his class that he had sparred with knew that. The upper classmen that referred to him as ' _the pompous Hyuuga_ ' and picked a fight with him knew that—shame on them for losing to a 9-year old.

So how did he end up paralyzed in the hospital?

He was woken up this morning by _noisy_ strangers. It was a couple of young adults around 18 or 19 if he guessed right. The man wore a horrendous green spandex jumpsuit, he had a weird haircut and distinctive thick eyebrows that made him look goofy. The woman had a cheerful smile that reflected on her brown, almond-shape eyes, she had brown hair that was fixed up into Chinese buns.

They were very chatty. They talked about current events and developments in the reestablishment of the village. He didn't understand why such repairs were needed but he listened intently thinking eventually they will shed light on his situation. They went on and on about people he didn't know.

 _'_ _Was he supposed to know these people? Was he supposed to care?'_

They spoke of a man they referred to as Guy-sensei. They told him about his amazing technique that had brought him to the brink of death, said man is out of danger now but sadly can never walk again. Then there were these guys, Naruto and Sasuke, who seemed like complete mental patients. According to his visitors, the men are best friends and rivals at the same time. They had a long standing disagreement of some sort and have decided to settle it by knowing who the strongest one is. They engaged in a fight to the death, it ended in a draw with both men losing an arm. In the end they were friends again.

Neji started to get impatient, he had decided that his visitors weren't of any use to him. They have been in his room for almost half the day and the information they were giving him all seemed trivial. None of it concerned him nor explained why he was injured so badly. He let out a sigh.

He looked at them and tried to communicate with his eyes, it was a long shot but being paralyzed and all he didn't have much choice. He narrowed his eyes and tried to create a look that pleaded, ' _Please tell me something, anything about what happened to me_ '.

The response he got was not what he expected.

The woman burst out laughing, "Oh look Lee, even in his state, Neji is can glare. He must really be getting annoyed with us."

The man came closer to him as if inspecting his face, "You are correct Ten-ten. Slowly but surely Neji is coming back to his usual self!" The man declared with so much emotion he was almost in tears.

"I think it's time for us to go. Rest well Neji." The woman winked and turned to leave.

"Ah yes! We must not stress out our comrade so he recovers quickly!" The man added.

Finally they said their goodbyes and left.

Neji was grateful for the silence because now he had time to analyze his situation. He noted that the weirdest thing about all this was that he was in a grown man's body and not his 9-year old self. He was deep in thought as he sorted out of possibilities—could this all be just a dream? Was a Yamanaka playing tricks on him? Maybe he was caught in some type of genjutsu?

He was shaken out of his thoughts when a teenage girl entered his room. Right away he noticed, she was Hyuuga. ' _Finally somebody that might actually tell me something._ ' he thought hopefully.

' _Then again maybe not_ '. Inwardly he frowned when he noticed that her forehead was unmarked. As far as Neji was concerned all main house members were cruel and selfish. So he had to wonder why was this privileged girl visiting him, she even brought him flowers.

He told himself maybe they had met before, she seemed familiar. She wore a yellow kimono, her white eyes were big and bright and her short brown hair was the same shade as his. She could've easily passed as his older sister, or rather his younger sister given that he is in an older man's body.

She spoke up, "Neji-niisan, I am sorry for not visiting when you first woke up. It's been very busy for all of us, rebuilding the village and all." She started to change the flowers in the vase on his bedside, replacing dried lilacs with the fresh sunflowers she brought.

 _'_ _Niisan? So we are related.'_ he told himself

Like the Lee and Ten-ten, this girl gave him updates on the village and of course about his clan. She was a proud Hyuuga, he noted from the excitement she expressed when she talked about the clan. "I wanted to thank you personally for your efforts in the war. You have brought honor to the village and most importantly to our family." she had said with all sincerity.

He was still confused but unlike the other two this girl gave him clues. From all her rambles he had deduced that: One, there was a war that destroyed Konoha and it had ended two months ago. Two, he was injured in said war. He had regained consciousness one month ago but had been drifting in and out of a coma. Three, he was injured because he had saved Hinata.

"I wasn't there niisan, but what you did..." she trailed off trying to stop herself from crying and regain composure. "As her sister, I can't thank you enough for saving her." She finally continued.

He then realized that this Hyuuga girl in front of him was his little cousin Hanabi, all grown up.

 _'_ _It figures'_ He thought arrogantly. The main house weakling needed to be saved and who would save her? Him, a branch house lackey of course. His thoughts travelled to his father and his unjust death for the sake of the clan, for the sake of the main house, for the sake of Hiashi-sama, for the sake of Lady Hinata. The memory of his father stirred hate and anger inside of him.

"Anyway niisan, I know you probably wanted to see oneesan today but she can't come take care of you because she herself isn't feeling well. The doctors said she needed to get some bed rest and avoid too much stress." She frowned a little as she continued to reprimand him. She told him that he should get better soon because Hinata has done nothing but watch over him day and night and it was not good for her to be so worried all the time.

This really pissed him off. Just the thought of that weakling taking care of him was an insult to his pride. This made his blood pressure go up and his heart monitor started to beep faster.

Hanabi noticed and was quick to call a nurse to help calm Neji down.

Adding insult to the injury, the young girl told the pink-haired medic that she thinks Neji got upset because Hinata couldn't come today.

 _'_ _What a joke'_ he thought.

Some moments after, the drugs kicked in and he fell back to sleep.

* * *

More A/N :

(1) This is actually my very first published story. Please let me know how I did. Thank you.

(2) To avoid confusion please note that Neji is experiencing Dissociative/Psychogenic Amnesia. A condition that causes a loss of some personal memories and autobiographical information but typically only for a brief time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three : When he woke up, he was fourteen years old.**

* * *

Neji woke up sore.

 _'_ _I just lost to Naruto Uzumaki at the Chuunin exams.'_ Neji reminded himself as he recalled the blonde boy's final blow—that was one hell of an upper-cut.

He groans trying to adjust to a more comfortable position. He didn't even bother to open his eyes. He needed rest and he was going to indulge his body's request.

His efforts in going back to sleep proved useless because his mind was wide awake, he kept going back to the events following his match. Hiashi-sama came to apologize, he was on his knees asking Neji's forgiveness.

Never in his life did he expect the Hyuuga leader to put aside his pride, especially not for him, a branch house Genin. _'Imagine that'_ he thought.

The man had handed him a sealed scroll with his name on it. Immediately he recognized the handwriting, it was from his father. It was an account of the events that led up to his death and how he proposed the plan to give his body to the enemy instead of Hiashi's.

Neji couldn't believe it, he had to reread everything twice.

All this time he had thought that his father had been murdered to save the head of the family but in his letter, Hizashi had explained that he willingly offered himself in place of the Hyuuga head. He had expressed his desire to defy destiny and for once, choose a path not dictated by the clan. He chose to sacrifice himself not because of duty, the clan, nor the Byakugan, he sacrificed himself simply so that his brother may live. He chose to die for his precious person.

"Overcome destiny Neji. Destiny has to be taken in your own hands." those were his father's parting words.

Neji was stumped. He had always believed in destiny, so certain that people's limitations were set and unchangeable, that each one must follow a path designed for them since birth. Could he had been wrong all this time?

The more he thought about it the more he realized that he had been ignoring the signs.

There was his team mate Rock Lee who broke the Shinobi mold. He became a ninja despite his lack of talent in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Neji had always thought that hard work is an illusion but Lee proved him wrong. Through optimism, determination and the help of their sensei, he had become quite skilled.

He thought of Lady Hinata who was deemed worthless by her father and was banished as the heir of their clan for being too kind, too meek and too gentle. He believed that people like her wasted time in trying to change themselves but he cannot deny what he saw in her eyes when they fought—she had changed. She had fought him with such ferocity, uncharacteristic of herself. And though Hinata's defeat was inevitable, she gave it her all and didn't back down.

Then there was Naruto, the clumsy, loud-mouth reject that failed the academy graduation exam thrice. He finished last of his class and never really excelled in anything. The boy was a failure and no matter how hard they try, a failure will always be a failure. That was why Neji believed that their fate had been decided long before the match started, but Naruto proved him and everybody else wrong—the loser beat the Hyuuga genius.

He recalled Naruto's taunt, "After all you said about fighting your own destiny, you don't really believe in it do you?"

 _'_ _Naruto was right.'_

Neji had been defying destiny for years. Truth be told he had never accepted his position as a branch member. So he trained diligently to be the best, honing his skills as best as he could; he even learned clan techniques that were taught only to the main family. He wanted to show them that he was better than them despite his status. He recalled his fight with Hinata and how he had been blinded by anger and his desire to show the main house's inferiority.

"Did you ever think that Hinata could be suffering as much as you are?" The blonde had said.

They were all the same. They were all hurt and trapped in a stigma they hated and each one of them had been trying to change their fates.

 _'_ _Who knew hatred could blind the Byakugan?'_ He thought with such disappointment.

Neji's eye shot open when the door of his hospital room opened, a lovely Hyuuga woman walked in with a tray of food. He made eye contact and she gave him a small warm smile, her cheeks blushed pink. Immediately he noticed how much she resembled his cousin, she had a sweet oval-shaped face and the same shade of indigo locks; she too wore an oversized jacket.

She sets the tray on the table beside his bed. Very carefully, as if checking how he will react, the woman sat on his bed. When he didn't protest, she gently guided him into a seated position. He noticed that he was having a really hard time with such a simple move, _'Naruto didn't hurt me that bad'_ he thought.

He turned his attention to his body to assess the damage, he started to feel worried when he saw scars that were never there, panic rose when he realized that he was bigger than he remembered. His heart monitor beeped faster.

The woman tensed. She shifted her right hand to the pulse on his neck as her left cupped his right cheek. She asked "What's wrong Neji?"

He tried to speak but his throat was raw. "Waah… Haaa..paa.." He wanted to ask her what was happening but all that came out were indistinguishable syllables.

The woman looked so concerned almost on the verge of crying.

"It's okay Neji. Don't be scared, it's just me Hinata. Everything is going to be fine."

 _'_ _What did she say?'_

Neji in his confusion activated his Byakugan and tried to fight her off. She had no choice but to administer a tranquilizer.

And just before the drug knocked him out, the alleged Hinata sat once again on his bedside. He could feel her eyes on him, one hand holding his and the other stroking his hair.

She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his forehead trailing down to his nose then as her mouth hovered over his for a second she spoke, "I will always be here for you, I will never leave you… I love you Neji." she confessed.

His last thoughts were of how soft and warm Hinata's lips were, then he falls asleep.

* * *

More A/N :

(1) This is actually my very first published story. Please let me know how I did. Thank you.

(2) To avoid confusion please note that Neji is experiencing Dissociative/Psychogenic Amnesia. A condition that causes a loss of some personal memories and autobiographical information but typically only for a brief time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 : When he Dreamt, He Dreamt only of Her**

A/N : I'm sorry I cannot help the fluff. I also do not love how the dream sequence was written but it will have to do for now. If it helps I was imagining it to be like the genjutsu dream sequence in Naruto: the last movie.

* * *

He was still, body completely unmoving. His breathing quiet and deep and the beeping of his heart monitors steady.

Tonight, Neji was truly asleep.

For the longest time, he never really slept well at night. He was a shinobi after all, and no self-respecting ninja slept with both eyes closed –figuratively speaking of course. They were trained to always be on guard even as they rest, never reaching that deep sleep where dreams and nightmares manifest. Although, honestly, Neji never really did have dreams nor nightmares. He was too logical for that sort of thing, in his mind it was more accurate to say that he remembered events in his sleep.

Needless to say, since he trained to become a ninja he never dreamt until that day Hinata got injured while she was preparing for Senbon Sparring.

It was dreadful, in his sleep, memories of him and Hinata swirled in his mind –scenes from their spars when they were mere children played back to back with their fight during the Chunin exams, this was topped off by the events from her current training with him that caused her to face plant on the ground from exhaustion. His harsh words and forceful blows playing over and over again. That was when he woke up, out of breath and drenched in sweat–he tried to stop his old self from attacking his cousin but he couldn't. The "bad memory" as he liked to call his nightmares had one theme, Hinata was hurting because of him.

From that day on when Neji dreamt, it was always of Hinata.

And as time passed his "memories" of her changed as did their relationship. Soon her quiet sobs turned into sweet laughter, the relentless attacks he gave her became soft encouraging touches, the fearful look she gives him turned into endearing smiles of admiration, the scowls in his young face became blushes he would hide when he knows she is looking. His nightmares became dreams that he never wanted to wake up from.

So tonight much like any other night he dreamt of her.

* * *

He was running as fast as he could.

He had never been more scared in his life.

He had tried to get there as soon as he saw her unmoving body on the ground. He cursed himself for not being fast enough to save her, not even fast enough to be the one to tend to her wounds.

He comes into the clearing, Byakugan activated, he was focused only on her limp body.

She was on the floor with Sakura healing her. As her chakra steadied, she stirred and when she opened her eyes, he was the first one she saw. She was safe and relief washed over Neji, no one else mattered at that moment there was only him and her.

As he looked intently at her, trying to convey with his eyes how happy he was to see her well, he realizes they were no longer in the battle field but the Hyuuga gardens. They were now seated on their favorite stone bench watching the stars after a whole evening of sparring.

They talked about how they feel about the war. She tells him she is scared but she will do her best for the village and to protect Naruto. He shakes off her last words, the one about Naruto, though he was both a friend and a comrade whom they owed the safety of the village from, his blood boils when she talks about that boy.

He took a deep breath and told himself, _'Come on Neji, it is now or never'_.

"And I will do my best to protect you. Your safety is most important to me." he interrupted her.

She looked at him and smiled, "Thank you for being so dutiful Neji but I want us to fight as equals in this war. In the battle field, our duties as shinobi come first before our roles in the Hyuuga clan."

He sighed to himself at how vaguely that came out. He tries again.

"I have been caged all my life by my roles. In our clan, I am to protect the main house and to the shinobi world I am to protect the village first." He turns his body to face her completely and takes her hand into his. "We might die in this war and like my father, I will choose to die for the ones I love and you are at the top of that list, Hinata."

His words caused almost tears in her eyes, those pearl eyes that always gave away her emotions. She squeezes his hand tight. "I feel the same way Niisan. I am ready to fight and die in this war. If need be I will give my life for you and our comrades."

He shook his head. He wasn't getting his point across.

He took a deep breath.

"No Hinata, Im being selfish here, when it comes to it I will save you and only you because if you die I might as well die too." His tone a little bit forceful now.

Abruptly, she embraces him. "Niisan. I understand you completely. You are my pillar of strength in this house I cannot lose you."

At this point Neji was frustrated.

He was never a patient man. He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to meet his gaze, his brows were furrowed from exasperation.

"Stop it Hinata, you are not listening to me!" He takes her right cheek with his left hand as he crushed his lips on hers. He had given her a kiss. Their first.

Hinata was stunned. In a span of two seconds she turned from pale to beet red until she finally fainted from shock.

He caught her in his arms and as he coaxed her awake, he realizes that they are no longer at the Hyuuga gardens but rather the tent they shared during the war.

He was sitting up, he laid her head on his lap as he whispered for her to wake up. She opened her eyes and smiled at him softly, that smile he knew she reserved just for him.

"The happiest time of my day is when I open my eyes and you are still here." She scooted down to the sleeping mat and motioned for him to lie beside her. He did as she pleased and she rested her head on his bare chest.

He tried to capture the moment from the softness of her skin on his to the scent of her hair. He kisses her on the head and she looks up to him, and when her pale eyes met his he told her "I will always be here for you, I will never leave you. I love you Hinata."

She buries her face on his chest again embracing him tight.

* * *

Sakura comes in and checks on Neji. She was happy because for the first time in the 6 months they been healing him, he slept through the night without any medication.

* * *

More A/N :

(1) This is actually my very first published story. Please let me know how I did. Thank you.

(2) To avoid confusion please note that Neji is experiencing Dissociative/Psychogenic Amnesia. A condition that causes a loss of some personal memories and autobiographical information but typically only for a brief time.

(3) Had to reupload this bunch of times. Damn that formatting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five : When he woke up, he was nineteen years old.**

* * *

He had to urge to overcome destiny –to choose his death just like his father did – he did it not to protect the main family, not to protect their heir but to protect Hinata, the only light in his life.

Without thought he had thrown himself in front of her as she tried to protect their Junjiriki comrade. There was no other way to save her, he could've used his rotation to deflect the attack if he was closer but he was a good distance away and as a final act of desperation he used his body to block the Uchiha's attack.

Even without the use of his Byakugan he knew the attack had punctured vital organs. He wasn't going to survive the hit. As he began to die, time seemed to slow down, every second felt too long. He didn't struggle to stay alive because, honestly, he was satisfied to die this way. He will gladly die again and again if that will save her.

 _'_ _My life is a small price to pay to keep her safe.'_ He thought to himself.

His heart swelled with pride, he had always told her that he will protect her at all costs and now she knew how fiercely he took that oath.

But that changed when she came into view, though his vision was blurry he could clearly see that her usual bright eyes were clouded with disbelief, distressed and fear. The very same fear he felt just before he had saved her.

He was no longer sure if he had done the right thing. Hinata's aggrieved expression broke his heart, causing him pain a hundred times more than the damage of the attack lodged in.

It was bittersweet, dying for a loved one. The greatest expression of love is self-sacrifice and every ninja present that day had heard his declaration of love for Hinata loud and clear. It was both beautiful and heart breaking to see her cry out how much she loved him back while life slipped away from him.

Her eyes pleaded for him to hold on, to survive this, to stay with her.

* * *

His senses started to coax him awake; he felt soft sheets envelope him, he smelled the scent of antiseptics in the air that mixed with the aroma of the flowers beside his bed, and he heard the sound of the machine beeping beside him.

Even before he opened his eyes he knew just where he was.

"I am alive." He said it aloud just to be sure. It was unexpected, and it felt surreal.

The last thing he remembered was Hinata asking him to fight for his life and for some medical miracle here he was, alive and well.

He chuckled to himself at how fate worked.

He had always believed in destiny and ever since he could remember his red string of fate had been tied to Hinata's little finger.

Theirs was a love that was slowly realized and it didn't help that the road that led there was paved with bumps and thorns. From the very beginning they were different, separated. She was from the main family while he was from the lesser house. She was meek while he was confident. She was kind while he was ruthless. She was weak while he was strong. She was a failure while he was the genius.

When he was younger he had hated her and she had feared him but this changed as they grew older. His new found tolerance of her led to concern that turned into appreciation then blossomed as admiration and eventually devotion. It wasn't difficult to fall in love with her she was easy on the eyes and soft spoken, her determination and perseverance to better herself was inspiring, her concern for others endearing. Though she wasn't perfect, he began to love her oddities and found that what each of them lacked the other had.

They were two halves of a whole. They were destined to be together.

So finally when he had the confidence to say it aloud, under the moonlight amidst the roses in the Hyuuga garden, he had confessed to her his love with unexpected words and a fierce kiss.

He smiled at the memory of how Hinata had tried to avoid him after that –but that didn't stop him into _accidentally_ bumping into her every day.

It was only during the war when he almost lost his life when they fought the Sound Ninja Four did Hinata realize what he had long been trying to make her to see. She had cried in relief when his soul returned to his body and that night –and every night since then– she had slept by his side clutching on his arms, making sure that he never leaves her.

He had claimed her as his and she willingly let him. They were inseparable after that.

His face heated as he reminisced how soft she had touched him.

The sound of a commotion outside his door woke him from his reverie. Instinctively he activates his Byakugan to spy on the disturbance and finds nurses fussing over a gurney bed being pushed through the hallway, trailing a very worried Hyuuga entourage, among them was the head and the heiress. His pulse quickened, _'Where was Hinata?'_

Instinctively he gets of the bed to rush to his clan members but as he swiveled his body to the side and slide his feet to the ground his knees buckled and he found himself face flat on the ground. He was too weak to stand up.

 _'Just how long have I been in this bed?'_ He thought to himself.

Despite the struggle, he did his best to stabilize himself –making use of whatever support he can – and made his way out the door.

Activating his Byakugan once more he tried to search for Hinata's chakra signature and his heart sank when he found it on the frail being rolled away into the emergency room.

"No!" He cried out as loudly as he could. This couldn't be happening, he just woke up and she couldn't leave him. Not now. The same fear of losing her he felt _days_ _ago_ came rushing back. He went berserk.

With a rush of adrenaline, he stumbled down the hallway, trying as hard as he could to catch up to the group.

Ko and Hiashi met him half way to try and calm him down while Hanabi disappeared in the operating room with Hinata.

The Ko had pinned him down the ground and in Neji's weak state it felt like a thousand pounds too heavy. None-the-less he tried to push him off.

Sakura rushed to him with a syringe of sedative.

Some moments after, the drugs kicked in and he fell back to sleep.

* * *

More A/N :

(1) Details in Italics not classified as thoughts :

* _accidentally_ \- Because I think Byakugan users don't do accidental visits.

* _days ago_ \- Remember that Neji is experiencing abrupt temporary memory loss so when he woke up in this chapter the last thing he remembers is the war. He thinks its only been days after that.

(2) This is actually my very first published story. Please let me know how I did. Thank you.

(3) To avoid confusion please note that Neji is experiencing Dissociative/Psychogenic Amnesia. A condition that causes a loss of some personal memories and autobiographical information but typically only for a brief time.


End file.
